MINING - Pros and Cons

Is the pros of mining overcomes its devastating cons ? or is it better to prioritize culture,nature over some mineral resources?

First, there are several things we should know about the pros and cons of mining before we could conclude or say whether mining is good or bad to us and to mother nature. So let us first discuss what are the Pros of Mining:

Pros of Mining:

1.  Without Mining, we would not have Mineral Resource like Gold, Copper, Nickel and a lot more.
2.  Without Mining, most probably, we would not have resources in building our houses, our bridges 
3.  Without Mining, there would be no silver spoons, jewelries and the like.

  - As you can see, the pros of mining is very critical in our daily life because without mining, there would be no metals which is very critical in terms of building infrastructures like houses, buildings and bridges. Without mining, jewelries like diamond necklaces and gold rings would not exist which are products that has a high economic value.

   - And in economic scale, mining is good in terms of big companies willing to invest in mining here in the Philippines. More investors, more money..

Since we are done discussing the Pros of mining, we would know discuss the cons of mining

Is it enough if we prioritize it's pros and just forget about its cons?

Cons of Mining:

1. Environmental damage:  destroyed rice fields, mangroves and corals. Hole, mudslides and overflowing damn.
1. land - Holes and infertile lands are what's left from a mining place. Destroying natural wonders like mountains and  landscapes which we cannot bring back. Land slides and Deforestation as well which endangers not only the wild life but as well as people surrounding the mining site.  
2. water - contamination due to mining wastes that goes directly to bodies of water. affecting the lives of those people who drinks from those bodies of water. Also, kill animals that lives in the bodies of waters.
2. Indigenous communities and their surrounding peace - According to Indigenous Peoples Rights Act, our Tribes and people who still lives in our forests have the benefit  to live and own their lands. Our tribes does not want their ancestral lands to be destroyed and disrespected like that. They want peace in their lands without the intrusion of those miners. To them, their ancestral lands are sacred. They just want to continue their way of life.

Indigenous Peoples Rights Act / Republic Act No. 8371

-an act to recognize, protect and to promote the rights of indigenous cultural communities/indigenous people, creating a national commission of indigenous people, establishing implementing mechanisms, appropriating funds therefor, and for other purposes.

Mining Act/ Republic Act No. 7942

-an act instituting a new system of mineral resources exploration, development, utilization and conservation.

     We are not generalizing that all mining activities results to this devastating cons. these are just facts that are visible among those mining activities that do not care to their surroundings and their only goal is to profit.

       We may say that large investors are very good to our economy, but at the long run, when contracts are over, all whats left are the wasted environment which is irretrievable which was once a sanctuary to our wild life. Republic Act 7942 or the mining law states that these miners are punishable by law when they violates the environmental rights of our nature. the question is , does or government watches these miners properly and do they act according to our law without biases and corruption? 

Conclusion:

       We may conclude that Mining has it's good and bad effects to. Without it, we would not have buildings and houses but with it, we may have lesser and lesser natural wonders that our future generations would not be able to see. Do we have a choice to not mine? so far, none but we still can act. we can reduce mineral consumption and mineral demands and choose a more sustainable way like choosing alternatives in material in terms of constructions and the like. If we still cannot avoid using our mineral resources which is the more probably to happen, we can still help by recycling these minerals. Decomposing the material and then bringing it down to its basic element which is still 100% usable.

      We can still Act TODAY. NOT TOMMOROW. We would not want to have a wastelands provinces and mountains, Deforested nature and contaminated rivers. We can still CONSERVE. try to use what we have and do not demand for more mineral resources because in time, no one can tell whether it would still be available to us, conserve our environment and conserve our mineral resources. COMMIT. Commit in protecting our environment. Commit in protecting our indigenous communities. Commit in implementing our laws. Commit in trying to stop those illegal miners, and to filter those huge and destructive mining companies and lastly, CREATE. Create alternative materials. Create alternative mining ways which is more sustainable which means lesser mineral demands which also equates to more resources in the future. 

ACT NOW OR IT MAY BE TOO LATE

think about it

by: Ryan Christopher S. Reyes
** the video presented was original and was not copied from any other site

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

www.google.com

answers.yahoo.com

www.minesandcommunities.org

www.chanrobles.com

Gold in the Philippines and ASGM

Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining in the Philippines 

A short summary of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining in the Philippines Report

Or.iginally written By: Ban Toxics

This post will feature a summarization of a report written in December 2010 by Ban Toxics, The Price of Gold: Mercury Use and Current Issues Surrounding Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining in the Philippines. We don’t own this report or any of the data included in it. All credits go to the original researchers and data owners

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A local miner carries a sack of gold ores.

What is Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM)?

The definition of artisanal or small scale mining varies from country to country because of the different set of criteria or parameters used. For decades, experts worked to devise universal definitions of “artisanal” and “small-scale” mining but were unable to reach a consensus. Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is however popularly referred to as mining activities that use rudimentary techniques in extracting minerals, most commonly gold, by miners working in smallsized operations.

Why pursue ASGM?

The constant surge in the price of gold and lack of livelihood oppurtunities make artisanal and small-scale gold mining an attractive enterprise for a large number of people especially the poor. Though ASGM provides livelihood for over 70 countries and an estimated 10-15 million miners, it comes with a huge risk on both environment and human health. Razed mountains, distorted landscapes, contaminated water bodies are the effects on the environment while miners are exposed to the health harzards related to their work.

Illegal gold miners.

Who are related to ASGM?

Men, women, and children are all actively involved in certain stages of ASGM. All are exposed to risks and hazards. Most small-scale gold miners operate without legal permits; even without proper equipments and clean water.

Gold in the Philippines? Really?

Most of us are not aware, but the Philippines is ranked third in the world in gold deposits according to a report in 2009. Yes, you read it right, third in the world. In 2009, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) of Department of Environmental and Natural Resources (DENR) estimated that the country’s gold reserve has at least 5,080,785,289 tons. 

A little bit of history about gold in the Philippines

Our country’s history tells us that gold mining is an ancient industry which existed even before the Spaniards stepped foot in our land. During the 3^rd century, Chinese traders actually referred to Luzon as Isles of Gold because of our vast supply of gold. Our ancestors used wooden pickaxes tipped with iron in chipping ore from the tunnel. Then, they manually crush the ores until it is reduced into powder, then washed into the streams where the gold dust or grains are distinguished by their gleam in the sunlight.

ASGM Gold Production in the Philippines

Currently, more than 30 provinces are engaged in ASGM activities. For the past 10 years, the Philippines’ average annual gold production was reported at 36, 457 kilos, putting us consistently in the list of top 20 gold producing countries in the world.

Fact: 80% (28 tonnes) of the country’s annual gold supply comes from artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector. In 2009, 10% of the world’s ASGM global production is contributed by the Philippines. As a matter of fact, more than 10% should be credited to the Philippines, but since most ASGM practitioners operate without license, some of their  production is unreported or unofficially accounted.

Where do they sell the golds they mined?

Pursuant to RA 7076, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has established gold buying stations. The gold is bought in Philippine Peso, but the buying price is based on the world market’s price of gold. However, the golds to be sold to BSP must meet certain conditions.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

1. Physical Form

a. Bar or disc (grains, powder, nuggets and flakes are not accepted)

b. Should not contain mercury or amalgam in any quantity

c. Should be free of slags and other foreign matters

d. Should not bear any sign of metallic segregation or poured shortness

2. Maximum Dimension

a. Bar Form: 9 inches long, 4 inches wide and 2 inches thick

b. Disc Form: 4 inches in diameter and 2 inches thick

3. Weight

a. Minimum weight of 200 grams per piece

b. Maximum of approximately 300 troy ounce or 9.3 kilograms per lot

c. Maximum weight of bar/disc shall be 64.30 troy ounce or 2 kilograms.

4. Minimum Assay: 30% per lot

Source: Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas

Gold produced by small-scale miners which meet the criteria can be directly sold to BSP’s buying stations. However, due to difficulties by small-scale gold miners to meet the standards set by BSP and their distance to buying stations, they usually sell their gold to independent gold buyers and jewelers for a lower price.

\

Mercury in ASGM

Even children mine gold.

Mercury has been used in the mining industry as early as 2007 BC in Spain where the substance was used to amalgamate and concentrate precious metals. Mercury amalgamation became widespread by the Romans in 50 C.E. In 177 C.E., however, the use of elemental mercury for gold recovery was banned in mainland Italy, possibly in response to health problems caused by this activity.

So we know that Mercury is hazardous to human health. Why do miners still use them?

One of the principal reasons cited by miners is that mercury produces quick money for their family’s daily subsistence, after which, they can still bring their mine tailings to cyanide processing plants for further recovery of gold. Another reason mentioned is that mercury is easy to use and is highly effective at capturing gold under field conditions. It is also very accessible and cheap.

Other reasons cited are lack of awareness of the risks of mercury use and lack of knowledge of mercuryfree gold production alternatives.

Gold extraction and processing

Gold Processing.

Of course, gold can’t be sold directly as it is mined. Mined gold is mixed with ores and should be extracted first then processed before it can be sold to gold buyers. Here are the processes of gold extraction and processing.

Gravity Concentration

\       Traditional gold miners often use the sluice box. This method uses gravitation by letting ore pass through a sluice made of wood or concrete which is covered with materials such as jute, carpet, or corduroy cloth, which captures gold grains when the ore and water mixtures passes through the sluice.

  2.        Amalgamation

Amalgamation is the process where mercury is used. Miners who practice whole ore amalgamation feed mercury in                  theballmills/rodmills immediately after the ores have been reduced into fine particles.  The rod mill is then turned on again for about an hour where mercury accordingly “captures” the gold. The mercury-ore mix are then removed from the drum and placed on a large basin, then transferred to a washing pan where water is added to retrieve the mercury that is believed to be loaded with gold. Some miners, on the other hand, first segregate the concentrates either by panning or gravity concentration before applying mercury. Mercury retrieved is squeezed using a piece of cloth to separate it from the gold. The remaining amalgam is blowtorched in a clay pot

3.         Cyanidation

Another method of recovering gold is through the carbon-in-leach, carbon-in pulp and heap leach systems where the cyanide solution dissolves the gold from the host rock. Carbon in leach method takes place for over 15 days after which the ore is run through a zinc oxidation process to extract the gold. This method is predominantly practiced in

Benguet.  

Mercury’s toxic threats and its harmful effects to the human body: What mercury can do to you

Mercury

Mercury poisoning can lead to skin irritation, fever, headaches, nausea, irritability, fatigue, loss of speech and memory, decline in sensory ability blindness, depression, kidney disease, tremors, brain damage, serious birth defects and even death. According to researches, mercury poisoning mostly affects the babies of pregnant women who are poisoned.

Largest mercury poisoning accident recorded

The most popular case of widespread methylmercury poisoning occurred in Minamata, Japan in 1956.  For about thirty years, a local industry had dumped around 75 to 150 tonnes of mercury into Minamata Bay poisoning fish and thousands of people. Hundreds of people died and many more were crippled for life. It was reported that an abnormally high number of children experienced symptoms similar to cerebral palsy and autopsies of the developing brains of those affected in the mercury tragedy show widespread damage to all areas of the brain. In the mid-60s, methyl mercury poisoning also occurred in Niigata, Japan with 47 cases and 6 deaths reported.

Local studies on mercury and its effects

Several studies have been conducted to probe the effects and impacts of mercury pollution due to 

small-scale gold mining in the Philippines. In 2008, a report which summarizes more than 30 

years of fish mercury research in Davao gulf, showed that mercury lowers children’s IQ levels 

for life. The report also demonstrated that fetuses and babies are particularly harmed by mercury in 

fish.

Mercury contamination in the Philippines

In 2005 the Davao Regional Office of the Department of Health (DOH) estimated that 13.5 metric tons of toxic mercury from ASGM flow annually through rivers into the Davao Gulf. Examination of fish samples from Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur and Davao City markets also revealed that they have mercury contents higher than the allowable limit of 0.3 microgram per gram. This makes fishes caught in the rivers of Davao Gulf inedible and dangerous to human health.

Sources: http://www.infomine.com/countries/philippines.asp

3.        

Posted by: Jan Kristofer Estepa, 4CSA

Minerals in the Philippines, the Government and the Environment

In my opinion this is the problem why we can’t use our own minerals for our own advantage is because the government heavily favors international mining companies rather than our local companies. They favor them maybe because we owe them a huge debt. An example is America or maybe government officials are bribed? Who knows? The point is encouraging mining here in the Philippines is good but we need to mine for ourselves to improve our economy or the country overall instead of giving our home grown minerals away.

Having international companies mining here in the Philippines has also a bad effect on our environment. First reason is that we never know if these companies follow the agreement about disposing toxic wastes and the amount or the area they can mine. I think these international companies really do not care about what will happen in our environment as long as they profit that is why local companies are better of mining here in our own country because our government can control them much better.

We also must be wary on how much mining will occur in the Philippines if we ever decide to do this seriously. As the saying goes, too much of everything is never good , same goes to mining, too much mining would lead to loss of ecosystems here in the Philippines, mercury leaks also may occur that could lead to pollution of our water resources that would eventually lead to loss of lives and livestock. Calamities that may occur when performing too much mining or inappropriate mining are: landslides, mercury leaks, contamination of soil, loss of biodiversity and deforestation.

Landslides may occur when the miners try to dig deeper into the mining caves and they removed too much material/soil/rock that supports the land formation. Mercury leaks/spills and contamination of soil occurs when miners does not properly dispose mercury they use in splitting gold from rocks/soil, improper disposal of mercury also means that miners just throw the mercury they have used to body's of water nearby or on the soil/lands nearby. Loss of biodiversity is the effect of deforestation and mercury spills from mining. Deforestation occurs in mining when the miners needs space for their equipments. This is the reason why there is loss of biodiversity in mining, when the habitats of some animals (those who rely on forests), they eventually would not survive or they be forced to find a new home whether they can survive there or not.

This is also the part where the government is needed. To really make sure our environment is not destroyed due to mining, they need to implement stricter laws/rules and appropriate punishments. The government must also take responsibility in making sure everyone follows the laws they will be making or implementing and that there is fairness to everyone, no one is exempted, breaking the law means punishment whoever you are.

 Lastly, I really think we must not overlook these mineral here in the country because this could really help improve our country. We must be able to properly use what resources we have at the same time take care of it also. We must have confidence in ourselves and support our local companies rather than relying to the international ones because we never know if they are really helping us or they are helping themselves.

Sources:

 http://us.rpembassy.net/?p=28

http://www.break-day.com/ver3.0/news/industry/42.htm

http://www.photius.com/countries/philippines/geography/philippines_geography_mining.html

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/opinion/2011/09/20/domoguen-wasting-our-mineral-deposits-messed-attitude-mining-180345

http://tagaloglang.com/The-Philippines/Economy/minerals-and-the-mining-industry.html

http://www.philippinealmanac.com/2010/04/45/the-mineral-wealth-of-the-philippines.html

Pictures:
http://pacific.scoop.co.nz/2010/10/advocacy-groups-disillusioned-over-aquino%E2%80%99s-lack-of-action-over-mining-review/
http://www.atokbigwedge.com/

Posted by: Degollado, Angelo Jose P.
                              4CSA

Common Types of Minerals Found in the Philippines and Their Uses

Common Types of Minerals Found in the Philippines and Their Uses

 

                          As we all know, Philippines is rich in resources and that includes Mineral Resources. We have tons of mineral deposits that are scattered in our islands and in this blog, i will discuss some of the abundant mineral resources found here in the philippines. Where are those minerals commonly found and the typical use of those minerals once extracted/mined.

              But before that, let us  first define what are MINERALS. According to "thefreedictionary.com", they are a natural occurring , homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness. and anything that concentration of these minerals,that has a potential economic value is considered a mineral resource. 

Types of Minerals in the Philippines:

a.) Gold -  Baguio and Paracale, Masbate, Surigao and Masara

                 Common Use: Jewelries, Metal and Optics coating,

            Description: One of the most popular mineral in the world because of its value. Used in making rings, necklaces and more. Popular looking like a Gold bar. Rumors says that Yamashita hid his Gold here in the Philippines.

b.) Copper - Surigao Del Norte (Philex Mining)

                  Common Use: Electrical Application, Construction, Antibacterial, Coins and sculptures.

              Description: Almost 65% of produced copper is used in Electrical Applications because copper is popular with its high conductivity. Has a distinct color of reddish brown.

c.) Chromite - South of Luzon, Coto,Zambales Northern Luzon

                 Common Use: Metal Additive, Chemical use

             Description: It is one of the most important mineral that is used in alloy making. Added because of its hardness and allows less oxidation and corrosion to a metal once added with chromite.  

d.) Platinum - Zambales, Samar Islands, Cebu

                Common Use: catalytic converter(automobiles), jewelry, hard disks

                       Description: One of the most valuable metal in our industry today because it is widely used in different industries. almost 70 percent of platinum production is used by the jewelry industry and the catalyctic industry.

e.) Gravel - Common Use: Construction

                    Description: Widely used as a construction material like in roads, buildings and houses. Also used in gardens and aquariums for design purposes.

f.) Silver - Common Use: jewelry, silverware,dental industry, photography

                  Description: Silver is actually the highest electrical and thermal conductor. but not typically use because of its higher price than copper.

---------

There are still many types of abundant minerals that can be found in the Philippines but the critical question is that how are these minerals be efficiently used. Can our industry efficiently use it? Why cant we excel in mining industry even though we have abundant resources?

Is it the Government? or is it Us? Why are we letting other countries use our resources. Why are they the ones who gets a profit not us. Maybe the government is lacking in focus in this industry and just allowing other investors in manipulating this industry. If only our country would develop this industry and find a way that can be efficiently used in mining, for sure, our Country would be a bigger and a better country. Proper organization and development is what we need in this industry.

by: Ryan Christopher S. Reyes
** the video presented was original and was not copied from any other site

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.mbendi.com

wiki.answers.com

http://psem.ph

www.wikipedia.org
http://www.thegrant-group.com/mining.php

Facts about Minerals in the Philippines

           According to DENR, nine million hectares of land has high potential of producing copper, gold, nickel and chromite. This means that our country really is rich in minerals and maybe we can use it in order to gain more income for our country. Philippines have a lot of potential in terms of producing these minerals and exporting it to other countries because our country has the right factors for mining. First factor is the land or resources, as stated above we have nine million hectares of land that could be use to mine minerals. Additional note to that we even place 2^nd to South Africa in terms of gold endowment per square kilometer, and that really tells something about how rich Philippines in terms of minerals.

Second factor that really boosts our potential of producing these minerals is experience about mining and man power. Mining in the Philippines dates about as early as the 1980’s and I think we really learned about the in s and outs of mining in these past years. Man power also an important factor when it comes to mining is abundant here in the Philippines because of our population. Without man power and experience mining would not be successful because even thou you have new technology and innovations today, the power of human brain in making decisions and rationality cannot compare to artificial intelligence.

The last factor that Philippines have to be a potential producer of minerals like gold, copper, nickel and chromite is the government is willing to support mining these minerals. With the support of the government mining these minerals would be encouraged meaning the minerals found in the country can be really a source of income for our country. One way of encouraging mining here in the Philippines is by having the government give incentives to companies that will mine incentives. Incentives like tax exemptions are given to those who agree to mine here in the Philippines and in my opinion that is a great thing but the only problem I had is it benefits the international companies rather than the local ones.

Sources:

 http://us.rpembassy.net/?p=28

http://www.break-day.com/ver3.0/news/industry/42.htm

http://www.photius.com/countries/philippines/geography/philippines_geography_mining.html

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/baguio/opinion/2011/09/20/domoguen-wasting-our-mineral-deposits-messed-attitude-mining-180345

http://tagaloglang.com/The-Philippines/Economy/minerals-and-the-mining-industry.html

http://www.philippinealmanac.com/2010/04/45/the-mineral-wealth-of-the-philippines.html

                 Pictures:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123449556539081061.html
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/13050/philippine-mining-will-comply-with-global-transparency-standards-government-vows

Posted by: Degollado, Angelo Jose P.
                  4CSA